Ubuntu OS smartphones to hit stores in October

It's been said that Ubuntu's open-source operating system would be available on smartphones by the end of the year, and now it's confirmed that consumers can get their hands on such devices in October.

Ubuntu is made by Canonical, and according to the Wall Street Journal, the founder and CEO of Canonical Mark Shuttleworth said that Ubuntu OS smartphones will be available in October and app developers will get access to the OS later this month.

It's not yet clear which smartphones will run Ubuntu's OS, but app developers will be able to work with the OS on Samsung's Galaxy Nexus.

Ubuntu OS is long a favorite open-source platform for computing. And now, as it gets ready for a smaller screen, the OS will use the same drivers as Android smartphones and will also be able to run on entry-level smartphones.

Ubuntu for phones will use native apps, which means that developers can create a single app for both the desktop and the PC. This will let users easily move between devices. The OS also favors swiping gestures to reveal navigation strips and overview pages.

According to the Wall Street Journal, several carriers are interested in the smartphone, but it's still unclear which ones Canonical will partner with.

Dara Kerr, a freelance journalist based in the Bay Area, is fascinated by robots, supercomputers and Internet memes. When not writing about technology and modernity, she likes to travel to far-off countries.